Memorial Day weekend at the Rivah!

Saturday, the day after school let out, we went to the "rivah" to play in the sun and water and hang out with my parents and fam. It felt like the official start of summer to pack the suitcases and get in the car!

Saturday

 

 

 The boys went on a canoe ride with Grandpa. I love how Christian really helped paddle and Grant thought he was really paddling with a little net. Cute.

V and Ella went around the creek on the wave runner.

 Ha ha ha! They were really with Danny. The pic above was when it was tied off.

 Then, they switched. Strong Soderholm boys!

Grandpa and 2 cute grand daughters.

 Grandma and Isaac and I played in the yard.

and in a Kayak.

 

 Grandma showed us how she could look like Justin Beiber. That was funny!

We had a yummy fried chicken dinner.

Then, after the kids were all down for bed. (although we found out later, that they got up about 10 times) Danny and I snuck out for a romantic date while my parents stayed there with all the kids. 

Ok, romantic was a huge lie! We went to watch a UFC fight at Applebees in Glouchester about 20 mins. away. Danny loves those and he really wanted to see it and wanted me to come with him. I love him, but geesh, really? I must be a good wife. It was nice to spend time together though in the car and at the booth before the fights started and on the way back. I think Danny enjoyed the fights. Can't say that I did, but that's ok. Give and take, right? I'm glad that he wants me to come with him instead of going alone.

Sunday

We went to the Kilmarnock Branch for church. It was fun. It is such a small world in the gospel. We talked to a couple people who we had met before. Most of the members knew Danny's parents from being missionaries there and they knew my parents from when they go there when they are at the river and we even talked to one guy who served his mission with Danny's brother, Bobby. If we had talked more I bet we would have found many more connections.  We like visiting different wards and branches. It is cool how it feels so comfortable and how it is the same gospel and same organization no matter where you go. It also makes us feel good that our kids adapt and make friends so easily.

We had a pretty chill day that day. Craig and Lorel came (they were at a wedding the night before) and we had fun hanging out with them, playing with the kids inside and in the yard, having a cookout, and making smores in the fire pit that night. After the kids were in bed, Danny and I had a fun time playing Pictionary with my parents. By the way, that is a pretty great game that we hadn't played for a long time. I probably think it is great because we won.

 S'mores!

Monday

Sun and water fun all day! It just felt like summer was here to stay!

The kids played in the pool, in the sand and in the water.

They caught minnows in the minnow trap and crabs in the crab pots.

They took turns riding the wave runner with Danny too. Victoria really likes to go fast with him now and loves the tricks too! I couldn't drive still because I am not done with my boating license! That has got to change before we go next time, because I like to be in control on that thing. Being a passenger is ok, but driving- so great!

So a few more shots...

 Grant was pretty nervous in the river and on the boat. Poor kid- he'll get used to it and learn to love it.

 He wanted to be held tight and also held on.

 He felt better in the cabin.

 

or driving with grandpa

To clarify what the "rivah" is... It is the Rappahanock River. People often think of river as a lot smaller, so a few pics from our boat ride to clarify.

It very wide!

There are sailboats, fishing boats, ski boats and even big yachts.

Some people have huge houses on the rivah, others have cozy cottages.

Victoria likes touching the sprays of salt water. (It is near the bay, so is still pretty salty)

The wildlife is awesome! This is a common sight at the river- an Osprey nest. We even saw an eagle that weekend.Danny and I discussed the coolest animals we have seen there- and decided a live horseshoe crab that we found on the island and a pod of dolphin in the river were our favorite finds.

We saw these people on a creek. This is getting to be a popular sport- paddle boarding.

My mom sat up front with the kids for a bit- pretty cool!

 We stopped at the island to pick up some driftwood and to take a swim. That was fun.

Oh, and Victoria like kayaking. She could maneuver pretty well. We were impressed and think she'll have fun doing that in the summers with her cousins. Speaking of kayaking, Danny and I kayaked down the creek to my friend Dana's house. It was fun to see her and her family for a little bit.

Thanks, Mom and Dad, for a great weekend! It is going to be a great summer!

V's class party!

Victoria's class party was on the last day of school right at the end of the day. It was fun. We surprised Mrs. Venable with a  round of applause as she came into the classroom and presented her with a "Let's give her a hand" basket from her students and some of their parents. We think that she worked hard this year and deserved an applause! We hope she will enjoy her goodies and her manicure gift certificate.

Then, they surprised their student teacher, Mrs. Walker. Mrs. Venable and the students presented her with a t-shirt with a picture of all of them from their Natural Bridge field trip. They all signed the shirt- she said she will put it up on display in her classroom next year. They also gave her handmade cards and Mrs. Venable gave her a great stash of supplies, books, and goodies to help start her classroom.

 

She loved the gift and it made her cry.

 Then, the kids hugged her.

After this, the kids enjoyed lots of goodies that parents sent in. Victoria and I made "Thunder Cake." We got the recipe from a book by the same title that they read this year. It was a chocolate cake with a special ingredient, tomato. It was topped with chocolate frosting and sliced strawberries.We brought in cupcakes to make it easier. I should have photographed them. We worked hard to make them the night before and they looked and tasted pretty good. V and I were pleased with ourselves. 

Then, Mrs. Venable drew tickets for prizes. I don't know how many tickets there were total, but Mrs. Venable kept reminding people that each student had between 5 and 30 tickets in the jar, so the people with the most tickets would probably get called the most. Well, probability worked in V's favor as she was the kid with 30, so her initials were called a lot. "V.S. .... V.S."  She picked a lot of fun prizes, including books and a cd.   She was pleased. We are thankful that she is well behaved at school and a good student. We hope that continues! We also hope that in the future she will be healthier and have better attendance. She missed about 22 days this school year- strep throat 3 times, flu once, and just about every other virus that came around. Poor girl. A post for another time.

 Essence, Mrs. Walker, Victoria, and Annaleigh (one of V's great friends)

 Smart funny friend, Damond, and V.

 Alex, Devonte, and TreQuan. Cute playful boys. Sometimes I want to take TreQuan home with me. He always seems so hungry for love and attention.

And last but not least, V and Mrs. Venable. Victoria and Mrs. Venable have a special bond. They joke together and really enjoy each other. We are glad for that. V will miss her.

Aloha kindergarten, Aloha summer!

School got out over a week ago and I thought it might be nice to share some pictures of the end of the year parties. Christian and his friends in Mrs. Hodges' kindergarten closed the year with a pizza party.  Their teacher was so generous to supply the pizza!

The kids played "Summer charades".

 They wrote special notes for their teacher, Mrs. Hodges, and their aid, Mr. Hough.

  and painted with water and blew bubbles outside. It had been a while since we painted with water, but something I had planned for them to do fell through, so I just grabbed some brushes and a bucket. I forgot how much fun they have with that! It was so hot that the paint kept evaporating!

I thought it was going to say "I love you, mom", but he fooled me. It was something else entirely. Can't remember now what it was. Christian is so funny. He was the first child to try to go Jackson Pollock out there. Of course, he was wanting to get his friends wet, so it didn't work out. He tried a few other fun games with the paint brushes too, like wringing the water out and pretending he was peeing. I think I was squashing his creativity. I sometimes view some of his ideas as naughty, but really they often are misunderstood. I can tell that he is very smart and thinks outside of the box sometimes. I am proud of him for that. I have a hunch that his strong will and creativity will be his greatest strengths one day. I love him.  

Deantre and a big bubble

  Christian and Sam-appeasing me by painting like the other kids were.

Isn't TaNaijah a beautiful little girl?

Trey had great fun with this and was very proud of his artwork. His big brother was in V's class.

 

Carrington and her magical disappearing butterfly.

After stations, we had delicious ice cream sundaes! Thank you Crystal, Christy, and Sarah! The kids loved choosing their own toppings!

 Christian chose "all of them."

I wish you could see better, he lost his top tooth the night before and his big gap is adorable. Be on the lookout in upcoming pictures. It makes me remember how young and precious he is, when he smiles at me with that goofy grin.

 What a fun party and what a cool kindergarten class they had!

Thank you, Mrs. Hodges, for your love, patience, and caring! You are so organizes, experienced, and energetic. Christian really enjoyed your class. You were a great fit for him and we are so happy with his first year of school. 2010-2011 was a good school year. Clearly, Christian gives it 2 thumbs up. Thanks!

Too cool in the pool!

Victoria and Christian thought it was pretty cool when they threw each other into the pool after they had put their clothes back on.Can;t remember who got who first- but it was funny and then the other got thrown in.

 

Grant, however, did not think that it was cool.

At all!

Poor little buddy- he was tired too!

I spy with my little eye- a great big sister

I love to catch my kids doing good. I had my telephoto lens on the camera the other day and snagged this picture of V holding and comforting Grant when he was crying.(They were in the playroom and I was in the breakfast room). 

I've seen Christian helping Grant like this too lately. We were at a playdate with friends when Grant got hurt- he immediately ran to Christian for comfort. And Christian was so sweet and caring for his "little buddy." Sometimes siblings bicker and fight, but deep down they really love each other. I love it when they show it!